Barring a massive and lopsided trade, the 2010-2011 Pacers are going to be pretty bad. Paul George has serious NBA potential, but he’s not exactly ready to be a franchise-changing player in his rookie season. Other than that, Indy is set to let go of a few low-profile players (Earl Watson, Luther Head) while working the trading block and doing what they can with the mid-level exception. Woe is the existence of a middling team too good to win the lottery but too inept to make the playoffs.

What’s worse, the Pacers don’t have any cap space whatsoever to play with this summer. However, looking forward to next year, the Pacers are set to have all kinds of salary flexibility. If Larry Bird and David Morway elect to let their expiring contracts actually expire, the Pacers will have just over $25 million in committed salary in 2011 (not including the salary for their draft picks next season) with which to assemble their new team.

Alternatively, Bird could attempt to flip those expiring contracts during the 2010-2011 season to get a jump-start on a true rebuild. That process actually starts right now, as Indiana will look to assemble a few relatively low-cost assets with the exceptions they have.

Farmar could really thrive in an offensive system like Indiana’s, as his talent has been stifled somewhat by the triangle offense. His shooting and passing would really be better served in a more flexible, fast-paced offense. Lowry has often seemed better served to be a back-up PG, but he’s also never been given full freedom to run an offense of his own. If Lowry does end up signing with the Pacers, he’d have to compete with T.J. Ford for the immediate reins of the offense, but in the long-term? He could be unleashed as the bull of a point guard to run Indy into the future.

Where’s the Cavaliers down by one point with nine seconds to go in the fourth quarter, Rodney Hood took it upon himself to take what he thought would be the last shot for Cleveland. Hood danced around the defense before finally taking a jumper from the free-throw line, which bounced softly off the rim.

Nance, battling down low for the rebound, worked his way free for a tip-in as time expired.

What counts as collusion these days in the NBA? What counts as tampering? It’s hard to say, but the league office takes a look at each and every comment like the one LeBron James made on Tuesday about New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis.

Speaking to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James said it would be incredible if Davis were somehow able to make his way onto the Los Angeles Lakers. This slots into the rumor around the NBA that LA is stockpiling its young core to be able to trade for a player like Davis.

“That would be amazing,” James told ESPN on Tuesday before the Lakers’ 115-110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. “That would be amazing, like, duh. That would be incredible.”

There’s nothing much here that LeBron said that isn’t factual. Davis is a 5-time All-Star and one of the best players in the NBA, a unicorn not unlike LeBron himself.

The NBA is certainly hoping that the Lakers can get their act together and put a powerhouse around James at Staples Center. How he does it is up for debate, although making comments about current players probably isn’t the best idea. James has been able to keep his mouth shut for the most part, but perhaps talk of Davis is just too tempting.

But was Harden called for a travel by officials? No. At least, not at first.

Video of Harden’s ridiculous shuffle was circulated on social media after the Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz, 102-97. Harden was asked about the move by media, and said that he wasn’t going to tell on himself, which is fair enough.

On Tuesday the official NBA referee Twitter page decided to comment on the play at hand, admitting that they had made a mistake and had missed a travel.

Via Twitter:

The offensive player gathers the ball while on his right foot. He then takes a step with his left foot (step 1) into a hop step, landing first with his right foot (step 2) and then illegally with his left (step 3). We missed this one – it is a traveling violation. https://t.co/BqMAoZHgIu

Having a Twitter account hasn’t always worked out for the NBRA. Their explanations of what many would consider to be violations have often stood in the face of common sense. To that end, they’ve sometimes been mocked on social media, which is against their goal of having the social channel in the first place. But this play with Harden was a particular sore subject with fans around the league, and it was right of them in to make a comment.

LeBron James is seemingly and ageless wonder. The Los Angeles Lakers forward is still one of the most athletic players to ever grace an NBA court, and despite his obvious physical decline, that’s not to say he’s a slouch out there. He’s not exactly late-career Boris Diaw just yet.

But LeBron is now 34 years old, and as such there are other players on the floor with him at any given time that have a bit more bounce than The King. James found that out the hard way on Tuesday night as the Lakers took on the Brooklyn Nets in New York.

During a play early in the first quarter, James drove to the basket only to be rejected by Brooklyn’s Jarrett Allen at the rim.